Pashinyan Explains Armenia’s Decision to Join SCO

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed at a press conference on July 16 that Armenia has applied for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), emphasizing that this aligns with the country's policy of balance and a balanced approach.

Pashinyan recalled that Armenia has observer status in this organization and that they did not decide to become members from scratch, The Caspian Post reports citing News.am.

"Incidentally, this is also related to the substantive and structural changes taking place in the Organization, as the issue of abolishing observer or associate member status is also being discussed. This is not the only or the main reason, but one of the reasons. When I say that Armenia is an expected partner, both in the north and in the south, in the east and in the west, this must have practical expression," Pashinyan noted.

When asked about the fact that the SCO includes CSTO member states, while the Armenian authorities consider the CSTO a threat, Nikol Pashinyan replied: "Nevertheless, the CSTO is one organization, and the SCO is completely different. Everything that needed to be said about the CSTO has already been said - there is nothing new to add."